System and method for utilization of photon counting for colorization in a cabinet X-ray system

1. A cabinet x-ray image system for obtaining colorized or grey scale density x-ray images of a specimen, the system comprising: a cabinet defining an interior chamber, wherein the cabinet comprises a walled enclosure surrounding the interior chamber, a door configured to cover the interior chamber and a sampling chamber for containing the specimen; a display; an x-ray unit including: an x-ray source; an x-ray detector; and a specimen platform configured to receive the specimen; and a controller configured to: selectively energize the x-ray source to emit x-rays towards the specimen and the x-ray detector; control the x-ray detector to collect x-rays, which passed through the specimen when the x-ray source is energized; determine a density of different areas of the specimen by calculating a time of flight of X-ray photon particles through different areas of the specimen from data collected from the x-ray detector; create a density x-ray image of the specimen, wherein the different areas of the specimen are indicated as a density or range of densities based on the determined density of different areas of the specimen, wherein the density x-ray image is colorized or grey scale; and selectively display the density x-ray image of the specimen on the display.

2. The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, wherein the specimen is selected from an excised tissue, an organ and a bone.

3. The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, wherein the specimen platform is configured for any organic or inorganic specimen that fits inside an x-ray cabinet.

4. The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, further comprising: an optical camera configured to capture an optical image of the specimen; and wherein the controller is configured to: control the optical camera to capture and collect the optical image of the specimen; and selectively display the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen on the display.

5. The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 4, wherein the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen are displayed in an overlaid manner.

6. The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, wherein: the x-ray source emits a first amount of x-rays; the x-ray detector includes a plurality of pixels in an array, wherein a pixel of the plurality of pixels in the array is configured to detect a second amount of x-rays; and wherein the controller creates the density x-ray image from the plurality of pixels by comparing the first amount of x-rays and the second amount of x-rays for each pixel of the plurality of pixels in the array.

7. The cabinet x-ray image system of claim 1, wherein the different areas of the specimen of the density x-ray image are displayed in different grey scale, different color or different shades of color.

8. A method for obtaining colorized or grey scale density x-ray images of a specimen using a cabinet x-ray image system, wherein the cabinet x-ray image system comprises: a cabinet defining an interior chamber, wherein the cabinet comprises a walled enclosure surrounding the interior chamber, a door configured to cover the interior chamber and a sampling chamber for containing the specimen; a display; an x-ray unit including: an x-ray source; an x-ray detector; and a specimen platform configured for to receive the specimen; and a controller, wherein the method comprises the controller: selectively energizing the x-ray source to emit x-rays towards the specimen and the x-ray detector; controlling the x-ray detector to collect x-rays, which passed through the specimen when the x-ray source is energized; determining a density of different areas of the specimen by calculating a time of flight of X-ray photon particles through different areas of the specimen from data collected from the x-ray detector; creating a density x-ray image of the specimen, wherein the different areas of the specimen are indicated as a density or range of densities based on the determined density of different areas of the specimen, wherein the density x-ray image is colorized or grey scale; and selectively displaying the density x-ray image of the specimen on the display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the cabinet x-ray image system further includes: an optical camera configured to capture an optical image of the specimen; and the method further includes the controller: controlling the optical camera system to capture and collect the optical image of the specimen; and selectively displaying the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen on the display.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further includes displaying the density x-ray image and the optical image of the specimen in an overlaid manner.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further includes the x-ray detector performing photon-counting.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the photon-detector is selected from a photomultiplier, a Geiger counter, a single-photon avalanche diode, a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector, a transition edge sensor, a charge coupled device (CCD) x-ray detector, a scintillation counter, and a hybrid pixel photon counting detector.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying the different areas of the specimen in different grey scale, different color or different shades of color.